Gaza - The ceasefire between the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel entered its third day in the Gaza Strip Saturday with no reported violations by Palestinians.

On Friday, Israeli soldiers stationed on the Gaza borders reportedly opened fire on farmers near the security fence between Israel and Gaza, according to Palestinian security sources.

Palestinian fishermen had meanwhile tried to take advantage of the six-month lull to sail deeper in the sea but Israeli marine vessels opened fire on them on two occasions. No injuries were reported.

The Egyptian-brokered ceasefire took hold after months of indirect talks between the militant Islamist Hamas movement, which controls the Gaza Strip, and Israel.

The agreement is meant to end fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants, which increased when Hamas seized control of the coastal Strip by force last June. It is expected to see an easing of the blockade Israel imposed when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah forces lost Gaza to Hamas.

Palestinian factions, who stopped firing rockets into Israel as soon as the ceasefire took effect at 0600 am Thursday, said they accepted the deal in order to provide relief for the 1.4 million Gazans exhausted by a year-long siege.

Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Hamas, suggested Saturday that Israel will gradually lift the sanctions on the third or the fourth day of calm and will open commercial crossing points to allow goods in. (dpa)